Sudanese thwart Dublin ceremony

By Alison Healy, The Irish Times

DUBLIN, May 13, 2005 — An award for a Sudanese human rights activist will be accepted by his wife and daughter in Dublin this morning, after he was arrested in Khartoum.

Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam was arrested on Sunday and charged yesterday with photographing military buildings and with crimes against Sudan.

He remains in police custody.

He was preparing to come to Dublin to receive the award from the President, Mrs McAleese, on behalf of the Dublin-based human rights group Front Line.

Front Line director Mary Lawlor said Dr Mudawi had been selected because of his courageous and inspiring work for human rights in Sudan.

He is chairman of the Sudan Social Development Organisation which is involved in humanitarian activities, including providing emergency services in Darfur.

Ms Lawlor said his work had led to his imprisonment twice in the past year and this new arrest was “a further attempt to silence those who work for the rights of others in Sudan”.

She said she understood his passport had been confiscated and that he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment on one of the charges.

“All the stops were pulled out” to ensure his wife and 10-year-old daughter reached Dublin.